James m



uiten ita'trs gatmt @ffice JAMES M. KEEP, 0F NEW YORK, N. Y. Letters Patent No. 3,448, dated January 21, 1868; articulated July 22, 1867.

@Ligt Sunbelt numb tu in that intimi annt mit. linking putt nf Hp time.

TO ALL WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:

Be it known that I, JAMES M. KEEP, ofthe city of New Yonk, in the State and county of New York, have invented a new and useful improvement in and a novel manner of cheaply constructing Spring Pen-Racks, so as to combine beauty, utility, and convenience, the object ofsuch rack being to hold pens at the desk when not in use; and I do hereby declare that'the following is a full, clear, and exact descriptionof my improved penmek, reference-being hadto the annexedy drawings, making part of this specification. In the drawings- Figure 1 is an elevated view ofmy pen-rack complete, showing in the perspectiveA A my improvement in the forming and arrangement of the springs and jaws for grasping the pen-stai; C O, the loops for/ holding the extreme ends of the series` of springs to the bed or stand; D D, hooks for holding down the central or intermediate springs; B, the bed or stand.

Figure 2, a series of springs made from one continuous piece of elastic material..

Figure 3, a section .of the cohtinuous or compound springs, showing the peculiar curves and angles hereinafter described and claimed. n Y My improvement consists in the use of India rubber or gutta percha, or any of their elastic compounds, or

of narrow sheets or stripsV of metal, when formed and arranged as hereinafter described; also in a very ready manner of fastening the same or other springs of pen-racks to their beds without tho use of'nails, rivets, or

solder, thereby lesscning the expense in manufacturing, and producing a more convenient and ornamental article than is now in general use.

To enable others more fully to understand, manufacture, and use my improvement, I lwill now proceed to describeit in detail. l

To constrncta pen-rack with my improvements, I provide a strip or sheet of the elastic material before described, of any desired width and length, and of such thickness that by its elasticity it will easilyyield to a gentle pressure, which is no-w to be bent in a zigzag or serpentine form, its curves forming upog its sides open loops of any desired shape, the inner sides of' which are brought closely together, thereby forming a kind of jaw for holding the pen-staff, a construction that will be readily understood by referring to gs. 2 and 3. This' f arrangement forms aseries or combination of springs and jaws, alternating upon opposite sides, and having at its ends the projections Pv P, at nearly right angles to the springs; the bed or stand B, fig. 1, being of' sheet metal. From the upper surface is thrown out at each end a. portion ofthe metal, sol as to form a loop or staple, C C, to receive the-projecting endsP I. At proper intervals between these loops, and upon opposite sides, the hooks D D are forced up from other portions of the metal.` The springs and bed being thus formed, they are attached together by inserting one of thev projections P P into each of the loops C C, and then bringing down the central springsto the bed and confining them by closely bending down upon them the hooks D The rack is now complete and ready for use. The series of springs may be formed all of one piece, as at fig. 2, or in sections of such/ pieces, with one or more curves each, iig. 3; these lsections boing united to each other by passing one of the lower loops o r curves within the other.

By this simple and peculiar construction and arrangement oi' springs it will be seen that they are very compact, and operate in concert with each other, cach performing its duty to the right or left with equal eiect; and while the loops at the upper curves serve to give elasticity and hold the pen-staii' fast in its plico, they also yield simultaneously with the loops-below, thereby rendering' the whole arrangement of springs and jaws extremely pliable.

I am aware that the springs of pen-racks are new in use made of sheet metal,vaud arranged in pairs, each operating by itself, and soldered or riveted in the bed-pieces; I am also aware that aspring pen-rack has been constructed by the use of wire spirally coiled, the coils serving as springs, and at the same time forming one continuous spring, which is retained in its place upon the bed-piece by means of a bar running parallel with the spiral coil; therefore, I do not broadly claim constructing the springs of pen-racl s of one continuous piece of wire, only so far as it relates to the arrangement and manner of forming the springs; neither do I claim a single spring or a double spring formed with parallel sides; but

What I do claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is f 1. -I claim a springpen-rack, when the springs are made of rubber, gutta percha, or otany of theirrcompounds, or of sheet metal, the same being of narrow strips or sheets, and of one or more pieces, when bent` curved, and operating substantially as hcrcin described.

2. I claim the method of attaching the` springs of pen-racks to their bcd-pieces, substantiallyas herein described.

J. M. KEEP.

Witnesses:

H. P. REYNOLDS, G. E. JEwETT. 

